Railroad-rail joint



UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ROBERT L. MOOONNELL, OF BREWTON, ALABAMA.

RAILROAD-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,375, dated December 27, 1881, Application filed October 17, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. MOGONNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brewton, in the county of Escambia and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Rail Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and t0 the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved joint-fastening for railroad-rails, whereby the ends of two adjoining track-rails may be firmly and securely held together in the best possible manner without the use or employment of nuts and bolts or the drilling or punching of holes in the several parts; and it consists in the employment of splice-bars of novel construction, which are adapted for operation in connection with wrought-iron supporting-clamps, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a railroad -joint embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same, and Fig. 3 a detail view of one of the splice-bars.

Similar letters of reference occurring on the several figures indicate like parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A A represent the ends of two adjoining track rails. O 0 represent the splice bars, which have two or more downwardly-projectinglugs or dowels, a, upon their lower edges, which are adapted to fit within the recesses b in the base or foot of the rails, as fully shown in Fig. 1. The sides of the splice -bars 0 O are also rabbeted or recessed on each end for a portion of their lengths, as fully shown atB ,in Figs. 1 and 3, which are adapted to receive the jaws c of the supporting clamps D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The supporting-clamps D are made preferably of wrought-iron, as in the usual manner, and are of such a shape as to readily pass over the ends of the rails, fitting snugly their foot or base, and its jaws c projecting into the recesses B in the sides of the splice-bars G O.

In the operation of forming the joint-fastening the wrought-iron supporting-clampsD are slipped over the ends of the rails, which are then brought together, end to end, and the splice-bars 0 C inserted in their usual places,

the downwardly-projecting lugs a fitting within the recesses 12 in the base of the rails, said recesses being readily cut by an ordinary coldchisel, and the clamps then driven over the plates into the recesses B, as shown in the drawings, thereby securely and efiectivelyholding the ends of the two rails together. The recesses B in the splice-bars O 0 may be slightly beveled at their open ends to facilitate the driving of the clamps D intoplace in the same.

By means of my improvements a perfect joint is formed and the ends of the rails firmly held together by means of the lugs (1 upon the splice-bars fitting into the recesses b in the base of the rails and thejaws 0 of the clamps fitting into the recesses B of the splice-bars preventing the displacement of any of the parts.

The advantages of my invention will be readily apparent without a more minute description, inasmuch as it combines in its construction and operation a high degree of utility and simplicity with a ready adaptation to the purpose contemplated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is- 1. The herein-described joint-fastening for railroad-rails, consisting of the splice-bars GO, provided with thelugs a,adapted to engage with notches in the foot of the rail, and recesses B, adapted for operation in connection with the supporting-clamps D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the ends of the rails A A, the'splice-bars O 0, provided with the recesses B and lugs a, adapted to fit within the recesses b of the rails, and the supportin g-clamps D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT LEsLIE MocoNNELL.

Witnesses B. B. BREWTON, J OHN I. DANIEL. 

